Feed-water purifier.



W. E. MCCOIVIB.

FEED WATER PURIFIER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5 I9I5.

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WILLIAM E. MCCOMB, OF CAMERON, MISSOURI.

FEED-WATER PURIFIER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. MoCoMB, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Cameron, in the county of Clinton and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Feed-Water Purifier, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to feed water purifiers and its object is to provide a means for purifying the feed water and separating oil or other ingredients and sediment liable to produce scale.

In accordance with the present invention the feed water pipe is provided with a bypass and appropriate valves with the bypass having therein a suitable container so that the feed water passing through the bypass may be made to traverse purifying agents before reaching the boiler. In the main feed water pipe there is included an oil separator about which there is arranged a by-pass with suitable valves. The oil separator is so constructed that the water passing through it travels so slowly and by such a tortuous path that the oil has ample time to separate from the water and impurities which might pass on to the boiler if carried by a fast flowing streain, have time to settle without liability of being stirred up by the feed water traveling to the boiler.

The arrangement is such that either the purifier or the oil separator may be used independent of the other orthetwo may be used together, so that the feed water may be both purified by suitable treatment and have any oil carried along with it separated from it before the water enters the boiler.

The purifying part of the device is shown, described and claimed in my application No. 873,843, filed Nov. 24, 1914, for means for dissolving and supplying boiler compounds to boilers, and hence in this application no claim is made to the specific construction of the purifying means in itself, but only in eon unction with the oil separator.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the further under- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 7, 1916.

Application filed November 5, 1915. Serial No. 59,795.

standing that while the drawings show a practical form of the invention, the latter is not confined. to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications come within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is an elevation with parts in vertical section showing the combined purifier and oil separator.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2- 2 of Fig. 1,

distant parts being omitted.

' Referring to the drawings there is shown a pipe 1 which may be considered as connected at one end to the feed water pump or injector of the boiler. The pipe 1 terminates at a T connection 2, from which there is a continuation 3 terminating at another T connection 4 and including a eut-ofi valve 5, which, like other valves to be described, may be of the familiar any other suitable type. Leading from the neck side of the T 2 is another pipe 6 including a'cut-ofi valve 7 and a check valve 8 on the side of the valve 7 remote from the T 2. The pipe 6 terminates in a T 9, to the neck of which there is connected a cut-off valve 10,- and extending from the valve 10 is a pipe 11 connected to the valve 10 by a short exteriorly threaded coupling 12. The pipe 11 extends through an opening 13 in one head 14 of a cylinder 15, the opening 13 being closed by a plate 16 secured to the globe type, or of head 14 and traversed by the coupling 13.

The cylinder 15 has its other end closed by a head 17 traversed by a short coupling 18 carrying branched pipes 19 within the cylinder, said pipes being connected by suitable fittings and opening into the cylinder near their lower ends, the cylinder being upright in-its normal working position. The pipe 11 rises in the cylinder to a point near the upper end of said cylinder, while the pipes 19 open into the cylinder at a point near the bottom of the cylinder, but spaced sufficiently from the lower head 14 to accommodate a mass 20 of purifying compound which may consist of soda ash, caustic soda and graphite, or any other material or materials employed in connection with boilers for dissolving deposits and for other purposes. The cylinder 15 has its upper head 17 provided with a removable closing plug 21. Connected to the coupling 18 is a pipe 22 including a cut-off valve 23 and entering one end of a cylindrical chamber 24, the other end of which is connected by a pipe 25 ,to a T 26. -Extending'from one end of the including a cut-off valve 34, and opening into the cylinder 15 near the lower end of said cylinder.

Connected to and rising from the T 4 is a pipe which may be in line with andwhich constitutes a continuation of the pipes 1 and 3. The pipe 35 includes a T 36 and a cut-off valve 37 on the side of the T 36 remote from the T 4. The pipe 35 has a continuation 38 entering an upright cylinder 39 by way of a passage 40 in the bottom head 41 of the cylinder 39. The passage 40 is closed by means of a cap plate 42secured in' any appropriate manner to the head 41. Connected to the cap plate 42 is ,a drain pipe 43 including a cutoff valve 44.

v The pipe 38 rises to and opens into the cylinder 39 at a high 'point quite close to the upper head of the cylinder shown at 45.

' At a high point in the cylinder'39 there is provided'an outlet pipe 46 including a cutoff valve 47 and this cylinder is also provided with a gage glass 48 of customary construction. Q

Extending through the head 45 is a coupling 49 carrying a laterally spread series of depending pipes 50 by means of a cross coupling 51. The pipes 50 are of a length to extend to a point near the bottom of the cylinder 39 and are there freely open, the pipe 38 being freely open at the upper end and terminating quite close to the coupling 51 and within the range of indication of the gage glass 48. Connected to the coupling 49 is a pipe 52 in turn connected toa cut-ofi' valve 53, and the latter is connected to a T coupling 54 from Which leads a pipe 55 which is assumed to be continued to the boiler. Branched of from the coupling 54 is a by-pass 56 including a cut ofi' valve 57 and at the other end terminating at and connected to the T coupling 36.

If it be desired to purify the feed water the valve 5vis closed and the valves 7, 10, 23, 28, 37 and 53 are opened. The valves 32, 33,

30, 44, 47 and 57 are closed. Now, considering that there is a supply 20 of a suitable compound Within the cylinder 15, the feed water finds its way from the pipe 1 through the pipe 11 into the cylinder 15 and flows .into said cylinder by.overfiowing the upper end of the pipe 11. fected more or less by. the compound 20 finds its way through the pipes 19 to the chamber 24 and thence by Way of the pipe 27 to the pipe 35, rising through the pipe 38 into the cylinder 39. When the cylinder 39 has become sufliciently filled, the Water finds its way out through the pipes 50 and ultimately through the pipe'55 to the boiler. Besides being treated to-the action of the compoun... 20, the water on reaching the cylinder 39, which may be'of relatively large size as compared with the cylinder 15 and its chamber 24, is then in so large a container that its movements through the container are very sluggish, and since there are several outflow pipes 50in multiple, the movement of The water being af:

the water into the outlet pipes is correspondj ingly sluggish. This gives ample time for lubricating oil if present to separate from' the water and rise to the surface thereof. Such relatively long time is needed, since .the oil is customarily in an emulsified condition-when it enters the cylinder 39. Such cylinder or chamber 39 has the function of a settling and separating chamber permitting the oil to separate from the water and accumulate on top thereof, While any heavy impurities fall, to the bottom of the cylinder. However, the entering water is so far from the bottom of the cylinder and the water stream so sluggish as it approaches the bottom of the cylinder that deposits remain '39 are removed from the feed water before I it reaches the boiler.

By a suitable manipulation of the valves, as by the closing of the valves 37 and 53 and the openingof the valve 57, the feed water is shunted around the cylinder 39 and so may pass directly from the feed water pump to the boiler. Or, the valve 5 may be closed and the valves 7 and 28 openedwith the valve 37 closed as before, and the feed water, suitably subjected to the purifying compound, may then pass to the boiler without going through the settling and oil separating chamber 39.

The invention therefore provides a means for. the purification of boiler feed Water and iaa the separation from such water of lubricating oil and other materials liable to glve trouble in the boiler and the purification and oil separation may take place continuously in order, while the water is being fed to the boiler, or elther arrangement may be used 7 without the other.

By providing a multiple outlet near the lower end of the cylinder 39 with a single high inlet there is no tendency to produce an inrush of water or the production of distinct streams, since the outlet is well separated from the inlet and of multiplied capacity over the inlet within the cylinder.

The by-pass pipe 56 permits the passage of water to the boiler when the oil separator is not needed. Furthermore, when cleaning.

I ing operation of the cylinder 39.

' encyof any well defined down stream of wa- Itis to be noted that there are four outlet pipes 5O in the cylinder 39, it having been found in practice to be advisable to break up the outgoing stream into as many units as practicable to thereby prevent any tendter from the inlet to the outlet. Where several outlets are provided this tendency is eliminated and there is no danger of the water taking a single course productive of a current, WllICll will carry a certain amount of oil with it, since the oil on entering the cylinderori chamber 39 is usually in the emulsified form and must have time to separate from the water to prevent going over with the water to-the boiler.

With the present invention and with the cylinder or chamber 39 five or more feet in length the water takes from 30 to 40 minutes to settle down from the upper end of the pipe 38 to the lower ends of the pipes 50. This is ample for the separation of the oil and the settling to the bottom of the separator of any impurities reaching it. The oil accumulating on top of the water is readily drawn ofi through the pipe 46 and impurities are readily blown out through the pipe 43. 4

In-the purifier side.of the invention the pipes 29 and 32 serve as blow off pipes for cleansing purposes while the pipe 33 provides a means for agitating the compound 20 when desired. I

What is claimed is 1. A feed water purifier comprising a main pipe for receiving the water to be puri fied, a casing into which the water pipe enters to and discharges at a high point, an

outlet for the casing communicating with the interior thereof at a low pointand having multiple branches to slow up the flow of water from'the high point of inlet tQ-Lthe low point of outlet within the casing, another pipe branched about the casing from the inlet to the outlet pipes thereof, another casing, a branch pipe from the main pipe entering the second casing and discharging thereinto at a high point,'multiple pipe out lets leading from low points of the second casing and connected together and to the main pipe, and valves in the pipes for cutting the casings into and out of connection with the main pipe and for utilizing the casings singly or in series at the will of an operator.

2. In feed water purifying means, a- Supply pipe and an oil separator included therein and comprising a chamber with the main pipe entering the chamber and discharging thereinto at a high point, anda plurality of outlet ipes in the chamber for connection to the oiler, said outlet pipes communicating with the chamber at a low point therein and representing a cross-sectional area a plurality of times that of the main pipe.

3. In a means for purifying feed water, a casing,:a pipe entering the casing and discharging thereinto at a high point of the casing, and a series of pipes in surrounding relation to the first-named pipe and communicating with the interior of the casing at a low point therein, said series of pipes having a common outlet, whereby water entering the casing through the inlet pipe is discharged thereinto at a high point and flows in a plurality of directions away from the inlet pipe to the entering. ends of the surrounding series of'pipes.

4. In a means for purifying feed water, a casing, a pipe entering the casing and discharging thereinto at a high point of the casing, and a series of pipes in surrounding relation to the first-named pipe and oom municating with the interior of the casing at a low point therein, said series of pipes having a common outlet, whereby water entering the casing through the inlet pipe is discharged thereinto at a high point and flows in a plurality of directions away from the inlet pipe to the entering ends of thesurrounding series of pipes, said casing being provided with a by-pass pipe extending from the inlet and outlet pipes around the casing and the inlet, outlet and by-pass pipes each having a valve therein for the control of the flow of water through the pipes. 1

5. In a feed water purifier, ail oil separator comprising a casing, a feed water pipe entering the casing and opening therein at ahigh point of the casing, another feed wa-- ter pipe leading from the casing with a series of branch pipes within the casing in surrounding relation to the first-named pipe and openinginto the casing at a low point thereof, a branch pipe connecting the inlet my own, I have hereto alfixed my signature and outlet pipes around the'casing, a valve in the presence of two witnesses.

in the inlet pipe between the branch pipe Q and the casing, another valve in the outlet WILLIAM i 5 pipe between the branch pipe and the cas- Witnesses:

ing, and a valve in'the branch pipe. JNO. ABBoT CLARK,

' In testimony that I claim the forgeoing as ALVORD J. ALTHoUsE. 

